ComboBox: Name/ID values

[jalbao]

How do I assign an ID to items that are in a combobox?

I currently run the following loop to fill my combobox with items that are referred to by name (the items were retrieved from a database table):

Do While drFillControllerType.Read() cboControllerType.Items.Add(drFillControllerType.GetValue(0))
Loop

The above loop does only half of what I want it to do - that is, it creates items to be displayed in the combobox (a user friendly name is displayed).

The other half that I would like to do, is associate the names with an ID (the id value will also be derived from the database table). I will use this ID to reference a combobox item elsewhere in my code.

tia

 

[RiverGuy]

I've found that the combo box in Windows forms you have to bind to get the value member. Wherease, the drop down list in web forms behaves more like the combo box in VB 6 , whereupon, you can assign a value to the ID.

 

[stnkyminky]

Create a class....you could even subclass this in a form.

Public Class ItemData
    Inherits ListViewItem
    Private _Display As String
    Private _key As String
    Public Sub New(ByVal display As String, ByVal key As String)
        MyBase.New()
        _Display = display
        _key = key
        Me.Text = display
    End Sub
    Public Property Display() As String
        Get
            Return _Display
        End Get
        Set(ByVal Value As String)
            _Display = Value
        End Set
    End Property
    Public Property Key() As String
        Get
            Return _key
        End Get
        Set(ByVal Value As String)
            _key = Value
        End Set

    End Property
End Class

'How to populate

combobox1.items.add(new itemdata(<display>, <key>))

'How to retrieve key

console.writeline(ctype(combobox1.selecteditem,itemdata).key)

'*Make sure you set the display member to "Text" after the initializecomponents sub is called

combobox1.DisplayMember = "Text"

Scott
Programmer Analyst
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[chiph]

Like Scott says.

One of the most powerful features of the .NET combo and listboxes is the ability to use an Object as the item. Since all classes ultimately derive from Object -- you can use any class you create as an item in a combo.

Chip H.


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